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Bio Diesel
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:21 pm
by Maggot4x4
Does anyone no anything about this stuff. What can run it and is it ok?
There is a guy in sydney selling it for 70c per ltr in 44 gallon drums.
Any info would be good.
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:35 pm
by ISUZUROVER
The mate I mentioned in your county thread ran his 4BD1 engined rangie on waste vegetable oil (WVO) for quite a while - but for this you need two tanks (diesel and filtered WVO) and a couple of heat exchangers.
If he is making it properly and filtering it to 10micons or below it will be fine to run the 4BD1 on. Just run some diesel injector cleaner every 10-20000km.
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:40 pm
by ISUZUROVER
If you want to know how biodiesel is made - it is usually just filtered WVO that is heated up and transesterified by adding NaOH (Caustic soda). The transesterification process breaks the fat molecules up into smaller molecules that have a lower freezing point so the oil/fat won't solidify in the tank on a cold night (that is why you need the heat exchangers for running straight WVO).
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:11 pm
by up2nogood
I've got a few links on my work PC about this. I'll try to post tomorrow.
By the way, is the dude selling it a company? If not it is illegal as you can't sell it without paying the gov excise.
Which means if there is something wrong with the fuel you have no recourse if he goes down the gurgler.
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:22 pm
by disco95
I saw something about this on, of all things, (and remember I have kids) totally wild the other day. Some guy was getting round in a truck that runs on this stuff promoting it. I reckon it'd be a great idea but I'd make sure it wasn't going to have any adverse long term effects.
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:23 pm
by Dave J
There is stacks of info on the web on how to make this stuff yourself. No need for expensive heat exchangers, and old hot water system does fine.
Do some google'ing, buying it is probably not that cool unless you can get some idea of the quality. He could be selling you anything. My dad had heaps of probs when he got a batch of bad winter diesel and waxed up his entire fuel system when it got cold.
Moral is you don't know what your buying, for a saving of 30c per litre is it worth possibly your injector pump?
Check out some websites, it doesn't look too hard to make yourself, and then you know how good it is.
DJ
Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:12 am
by disco95
Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:44 am
by up2nogood
Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:08 pm
by disco95
Hmmmm a cold fusion engine, how good would that be.
Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 5:59 pm
by ISUZUROVER
For people with petrol engines you can make your own ethanol or methanol. But it is a fair bit of work, you need a big backyard (need lots of grass clippings or other plant matter), and you need to do some mods to run on it.